Mustafa Hashmi, V-G
Two years ago, when I started Class 4, I thought I was ready for the new school year. I felt confident and excited. However, things changed very quickly. My mom became very sick, and because her treatments were quite difficult, she had to stay in the hospital much more than at home.
This was a very hard time for me. My mom was always the person who taught me at home. She helped me understand my lessons, prepared me for my tests, and even made special worksheets to help me revise. Without her being there to guide me, I felt lost. My studies began to suffer because I didn’t know how to learn without her help.
When my first assessments started, I struggled. I didn’t have a plan, and I didn’t know how to organize my revision. Even though I passed with a good result, I knew they could have been much better. I had always been a student who got very high marks, so seeing a lower score was a difficult moment for me. It was a wake-up call I needed. I made a promise to myself that I would find a way to do better, even if I had to do it all by myself.
I started by changing how I studied at home. Here are some simple tips I used to improve my grades.
Since my mom couldn’t make worksheets for me, I started making my own. After reading a chapter, I would write down five difficult questions and try to answer them without looking at the book.
I picked one subject to focus on every day. This helped me finish my work faster and understand it more deeply.
When I found a concept hard to understand, I read it out loud to myself. Hearing the words helped my brain remember them better than just looking at the page.
I made sure my study area was clean and quiet. Having all my pencils and books ready meant I didn’t waste time looking for things.
When the second assessments arrived, I worked really hard using these new habits. When I finally got my report card, I scored well in every subject.
The best part wasn’t just the high grades. The best part was the feeling of pride inside me. I realized that I could trust myself. I had learned how to prepare, how to focus, and how to succeed on my own. When my mom saw my results, she was so proud of my achievements, but most of all, she was proud of the independent student I had become.